Machine for twisting wire.



G. B. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR TW'ISTING WIRE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1916.,

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I Inventor Witnesses Attorneys G. B. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR TWISTIN'G WIRE.

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Attor'neys G. B. SMITH. MACHINE FOR TWISTING WIRE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I0, 1916.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

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3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- lrivento r Attorneys witnesses GARY B. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOB TWISTING WIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

AppIication filed. November 10, 1916. Serial No. 130,599.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARY B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Machine for Twisting WVire, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to wire twisting machines, and is an improvement in the wire twisting machine disclosed in my Patent No. 1,165,550, granted December 28, 1915, and employing, generally considered, a rotatable twisting chuck, a wire applying device, and automatic means for operating the chuck as the chuck and wire applying device are moved relatively toward and away from one another, whereby the wire is alternately twisted and the twisted portion discharged.

It is the object of the invention to provide a wire twisting machine of the character indicated embodying novel and improved features of construction to enhance the utility, operation and efficiency of the machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of novel means for guiding and applying the strands to provide the twisted wires and covering.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which'will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a plan view of the machine, portions being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on the line l4 of Fig. 1.

.Fig.5 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, of the wire or strand guiding and applying device, this view being taken on the section line 6-6 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7o Fig. 6,.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the end of the pin for twisting and guiding the core strands or wires.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 ing a modification.

Fig. 10 is a view simialr to Fig. 6, taken on the line 10l0 of Fig. 11, illustrating a modified form of wire guiding and applying device.

Fig. llis a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10.

In carrying out the invention, a special frame is employed, the same embodying a circular relatively fiat casing 1 disposed in a vertical plane with its axis horizontal, and composed of side plates or sections 2 having their peripheries clamped together in any suitable manner. The casing 1 is provided with supporting legs 3, and a bracket 1, preferably integral with the cas ing, projects horizontally therefrom in the plane of the casing or substantially so. At that side of the casing opposite the bracket 1, there is provided a bracket 5, preferably integral with the casing, for supporting an electric motor or the like. to operate the machine in the manner disclosed in said patent, if this is desired. The upper portion of the plates 2 of the casing have the members 6 disposed against one another and in which the horizontal longitudinal tubular shaft 7 is journaled. That protruding endof the shaft 7 remote from the bracket 1 can have a pulley wheel 8 secured thereon for operating the shaft, although illustrat- -the shaft can be rotated by a motor supported by the bracket 5, or in any other suitable manner.

As a means for journaling the shaft 7 within the portions 6, said portions are provided with a longitudinal bore 9 provided with a lining 10 of babbitt-metal or equivalent material, the babbitt-metal being divided in the plane of division between the plates or sections 2 to permit of the separation of said plates and the removal of the shaft 7 for cleaning, repairs, or the like. The shaft 7 is provided at various points thereof with annular grooves 11 receiving annular ribs 12 of the babbitt-metal 10, whereby an cfiective end thrust bearing is provided for the shaft 7.

Secured upon the shaft 7 within a chamber 13 with which the members or portions (5 are provided, is a worm 13 which meshes with the upper portion of a worm wheel H '1T Q LtS-',

The bra ke 4 is used for guljd 'ng hev W11"? 7 rotatable within the casing 1 between the side plates 2 thereof, as clearly seen by reference to Fig. 3. The worm wheel 14 is keyed upon a transverse horizontal shaft15 journaled through the plates '2, and as the shaft 7 rotates at a relatively high speed, the

worm wheel 14 and shaft 15 will be rotated at a slower velocity.

' A pulley wheel 16 can be secured to one end'of the shaft 15 for operating a belt 17 that operates a device for taking up the twisted wire as it is discharged from the machine, which will be ob ious by referring to. said patent. The belt 17 passes around a pulley wheel 18 rotatable about a vertical axis and carried by a bracket 19 with which the casing 1 is provided below the bracket 5.

A, twisting chuck 20 of any suitable character is carried by the forward protruding end of the shaft 7 and which chuck can be of the construction disclosed in said patent or of any other suitable construction. the details of the chuck not entering into the prescnt invention. This chuck is operated by a collar 21 slidable longitudinally, which in being slid in one direction will cause the jaws of the chuck to grip the twisted wire,

,whereas when the collar is shifted in the opposite direction, the jaws will be released. In order to automatically operate the chuck, thereis provided a longitudinally slidable bar 22 mounted for sliding movement upon the members 6 and between plates 23 secured to the sides of saidmembers, a cap plate 24 being secured upon the plates 23 to hold the bar 22 in place, and to enable said bar to be removed when the cap plate is detached. A member 25 secured to the forward end'of the bar 22 is connected to the collar 21 to shift said collar longitudinally with the bar 22, and a shaft 26 is journaled through the plates 23 for reciprocating the barj22.- This sh aft'26 has an eccentric or crank portion 27 received by a downwardly opening slot 128 with which the bar 22 is provided, in order that when the shaft 26 is rotated, recipro catory movement will beirnparted to said bar. The slot128 enables the bar 22 to be other set of teeth 29 engages the. pinion.

The pinion 30 is thus rotated intermittently for operating the chuck at'the proper m guiding an pp in de 'le, and. f r h purpose, an elongated plate 311s boltedor 7 upon the core.

otherwise secured to one side of the bracket 4. and a carriage or slide 32 is movable along that side of the guide plate 31 opposite the bracket 4 and is provided with upper and lower hook-shaped portions 33 slidably engiaging the upper and lower edges of the p ate.

The wire guiding and applying device 7 embodies a block 34' divided on a median plane to provide the sections 35 which are clamped together by means of screws 37 or otherwise, whereby the sections can be removed and their confronting faces filed away fromztime to'time as the block'becomes-worn. The sections 35 have a depending screw 36 provided in halves and which when threaded into the carriage 32 I will hold the block in place. The block 34 is provided with a longitudinal bore 39 be tween the sect1ons35 and of a diameter equal to that'of the twisted wire. A tubular member38 is slipped in the forward end of the bore 39 and has a head 38 fitting within the block 34 and held in place by a pin 38 or other suitable means. One section 35 and one side of the tubular member 38 are provided with a horizontal slot 40 extending tothe rearend of the block, the forward end of the slot 40 providing a diagonal wall 42 arranged at; an acute angle relative to the bore 39 for guiding the wires or strands 44 intothe tubular member 38 whose bore is of the diameter of the twisted wire core when completed. The other section 35 has a horizontal slot/41 extending to the rear end of the block, the forward-end of theslot 41. providingan oblique'wall 43 arranged at an acute angle with the bore 39 opposite the wall 42, for guidingthe wiresor strands 50' onto the core. 7 r

In order to assist improperly twisting the .wires or strandsof the core, a pin 45. of the diameter of the core is fitted in the tubular member 38 and is provided at its forward end with ahead 46 that-canbe secured to the block in any suitable manner to pre vent the displacement of the pin 45. The

rear end of thepin 45 has an extension 47 of semi-circular cross section across the flat face of which the wires 44 move diagonally, the shoulder formedby the extension 47 being oblique, as at 48, to assist in guiding the wires 44, and the end of the extension 47 being oblique, as at 49,.in the reverse direction to direct the wireshellcally 11100111160:

of the tubular member 38 is formed, as at 51, to direct the strands or wires helically "T he method of twisting the wires as illustrated in Fig. 7, is as follows: The twisted wire is rotated away from the observer, to,

twist the wires 44'at the end of the pin 45 to provide the-twisted wire core, the twisted wire moving to the right, as seen in Fig.7.

tion with the oblique shoulder 48. The end a The twisting of the twisted portion of the Wire also serves to wrap the wires 50 helically upon the twisted wire core, by the same operation. Thus, the core wires are fed from one side to the longitudinal line of the twisted portion, whereby the twisted portion in being rotated will twist the core wires to provide the twisted wire core, and the retation of the twisted portion will also wind the covering wires 50 upon the twisted wire core in the same direction, the wires 50 being fed from one side to the longitudinal line of the twisted wire where the wires 50 are wound upon the core helically.

The carriage 32 is advanced forwardly with the block 34 by the twisting of the wire, and to prevent the carriage and block from moving forwardly too fast, due to the tension of the wire, the twisting thereof, and other forces, achain or flexible element 52 is connected to the carriage 32 and passes over a pulley wheel or guide 53 rotatably mounted at one side of the casing 1. A suitable weight 54 is connected to the lower free end of the flexible element 52, and pulls said element to retard the movement of the carriage 32 and block 34. As illustrated, the pulley wheel 53 is rotatable upon a lubricant supply pipe 55 attached to one side plate 2 of the casing, although the pulley wheel can be supported in any other suitable manner. A lubricant cup 56 is carried by the pipe 55 for supplying oil or other lubricant into the casing in which the worm gear 14 rotates, whereby the lubricant will be carried to the worm 13, shaft 7 and other working parts to prevent heating. Grease cups 57 canalso be connected to one of the members '6 for supplying grease or other lubricant to the shaft 7 at the opposite ends of the form 13.

The means for moving the carriage 32 rearwardly for discharging the twisted wire through the chuck and shaft 7 embodies a slide 58 movable along the guide plate31 the same as the carriage 32, and connected by a connecting rod 59 with a wrist pin 60 projecting from the outer face of the gear wheel 28. Said gear wheel has slots 61 in which the wrist pin 60 is adjustable for regulating the throw of the slide 58.

The wires 44 and 50 are guided to the block 34 and for this purpose, angle iron supports 62 are secured to the sides of the carriage 32 and support a transverse angle iron guide 63 by means of posts 64, the guide 63 having slots 65 for the wires 44 and slots 66 for the wires 50. A transverse guide plate 67 is secured to the free end of the bracket 4 for guiding said wires therethrough from the 'reels or spools.

The operation of the machine is as follows The shaft 7 rotates continuously durthe operation of the machine, thereb t ting the chuck '20 at a high speed,

reciprocating the slide while the gear wheel 28 rotates at a much slower speed with the worm wheel, thereby 58. The slide 58 is moved forwardly away from the carriage 32 during the twisting of the wire, so as not to interfere with the carriage, and after the slide '58 reaches its foremost position its motion is reversed and it starts'rearwardly moving toward the carriage 32 which is still moved forwardly by the twisting of the wire. After the slide 58 has moved rearwardly a short distance, one set of teeth 29 engage the pinion 30 and rotates it through one-half a circle, thereby sliding the bar 22 so as to release the chuck 20, and the slide 58 then abuts the carriage 32 and moves the carriage rearwardly, thereby forcing the twisted wire rearwardly through the chuck and shaft 7, and pulling the wires 44 and 50 with the block 34-. When the carriage 32 and block 34 are moved by the slide 58 adjacent: to the chuck 20, the other set of teeth 29 rotates the pinion 30 to slide the bar for operating the chuck so that its jaws grip the twisted wire, and in the meantime, the slide 58 is started forwardly so as to move away from the carriage 32, but the moment that the chuck is brought into gripping position, the wire in being twisted will force the block 34 and carriage 32 forwardly. The slide 58 is moved ahead of the carriage 32.

This machine can also form the tubular or hollow twisted wire by employing the mandrel wire which extends through the tubular member 38 in place of the pin 45 and twisted core, asshown in said patent, and reference in this connection is to be had to Figs. 10 and 11 illustrating a block St for the formation of tubular twisted wire. The sections 35 have the slots 40 providing the guiding walls 42, and the tubular member 38 through which the mandrel wire 44 extends has its end formed with guiding points 51 for guiding the wires helically onto the mandrel wire.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 9, the gear wheel 28 carried by the shaft 15 has a single set of teeth 29 for giving a pinion 70 a complete rotation intermittently. The pinion 7 O is secured to a rotatable shaft 71 journaled to one side of the casing 1, and a crank arm 7 2 is secured to and carried for rotation by the shaft 71. A wrist or crank pin 60 is carried by the crank arm 72, said pin being'adjustable in a slot 61, with which the arm 72 is provided, and the connecting rod 59 is pivotally connected at one end with'the pin 60. A bar 73 is connected to the pivot between the connecting rod 59 and slide 58 and has rack teeth 74 engageable with a pinion 30 on the shaft 26, the. bar 73 being slidable in a guide 75 carried by one member 6. This form provides "for the quick return of said carriage32 and block 34; to save time and increasev the output of the machine. Thus, after the carriage 32fis moved forwardly while the slide 5 8 is at the forward end ofitspath of move} ment, the teeth 29' reach the pinion 70 and give said pinion a complete revolution, thereby first moving the slide 58 rearwardly and then turning the slide forwardly by a quick ,movement, leaving the carriage 32 adjacent to, the chuck. The slide58 then remains at a standstill during the twisting of the vWire and until the carriage 32 is moved forwardly again, When the slide 58 starts rearwardly, the bar 73 is slid to cause the teeth 74; torotate the pinion through a half revolution in one direction to release the chuck, and when the carriage 32 is moved adjacent to the chuck and the slide 58 returned to its foremost position, the teeth 74: will reverse the pinion 30 to cause the chuck I t grip the wire.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

'wheel for moving the carriage toward the chuck, and mean also operably connected v with said wheel for operating the chuck.

2. In a wire twisting machine, a frame embodying a casing comprislngside plates,

a rotary tubular shaft journaled between said plates, a chuck carried by said shaft, a

wheel mounted for rotation within the ca s-c ing and rotated by said shaft, awire'applying device movable toward and away from the chuck, and mean operated by said wheel for moving said device toward the chuck and for operating the chuck.

3. Ina wire twisting machine, a frame embodying a casing comprising side plates, a rotary tubular shaft journaled between said plates, a chuck carried by said shaft, a wheel mounted for rotation within the casm n r t t d by a sh a W re pp ying device movable toward and away from the chuck, and means operated by said wheel for moving said devlce toward the chu k and for operating thechuck, said shaft and the port ons of said plates surroundmgsald shaft having mterengagmg annular grooves and ribs to. takeup the end thrust.

-4;. A wire twisting machine embod'ying a frame having a casing, said, casing comprising si p s a o a y t bu ar sha journalcd b t e d s plates ndha ins a o m, a chuck-carried y. said tub tater new diet; ieamaled the ea il s, a wo m heel se ured wthe la tentioned shaft and meshing with the worm,

a wire-applying device movabletoward and y from c a w ee cured uPQ the last-mentionedshaft outside of the casing, means operated, by the lastsmentioned wheelfor operating thechuck, and means operated bythe last-mentioned wheel for 'InOVlDg thewire applying device toward the chuck. V

5. In a wire tw st ng machine, a frame embodying a casing havlng side plates a bracket projecting therefrom, a tubular shaft journaled between the side plates and having a worm, a chuck carried by said shaft, a shaft journaled within the casing, a worm wheel uponthe second mentioned shaft meshing with said worm, a wheel upon the second mentioned shaft, means operated by the second mentioned wheel for operating the chuck, a, carriage slidable along the bracket, a wire applying device carried by the carriage and movable therewith toward and awayf'rom the chuck, a slide movable l g the brack t f r mo ing h arria o ard the chuck,- an a co ne ting rod' co necting a l e and. ewed men ione wheel,

6- In a ire twi g mach ne, t inee tubular shaft journaled therein, a chuck car-V ried by said shaft, a slidably mounted bar carried by the frame alludonnected to the chuck, a cap. plate-carried by the frame for holding sa d r in p e, 'shaft i rn e within the frame and having a crank por-.

tion, said bar having an open slot receiving said crank port1on, a wire, applying dev ce movable toward and away from the chuck,

and an operative connection between said shafts for-"intermittently rotating the second mentioned shaft during the continuous rotation of the first'mentioned shaft.

7. In a wire twisting machine, a wire applyingdevice having a bore for a twisted wire core, and nother bore for a twisted wire covering wrapped on the core, means for guiding the core wires from one side to a the first mentioned bore and guiding said wires helically to form the twisted wire core,

and means for guiding cover wires from one side to the second mentioned bore andguiding them helically around the core.

' 8. In a wire twistingmachine, means for guiding wire from one side to a longitudinal line and for guidingthe'wire helically in said line to form atwisted wire core, and

means for guiding wire from one side to 7 said longitudinal line and helically around the twisted wire core;

9. In a wire twisting machine, a wire applyin device having a bore for a twisted wire cevering wrapped on a core, and a slot,

ex nding to o e S e f om s idb re f g l rd lg co er Wire to sai here a m mb within devicefor ed guide thecerer 4 Cir wires helically around a Core, said member havinga slot extending to one side for the passage of core wires, and means within said member for guiding the core wires helically therein.

10. In a wire twisting machine, a wire applying device having a bore and slots for the passage of core and cover wires, a tubular member within said bore having its end formed to guide the cover wires helically within said bore around a twisted wire core, said tubular member having a slot for the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,

Washington,

passage of the core wires into the bore of said tubular member, and a pin fitted within the bore of the tubular member and havin its end formed to guide the core wires helically.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GARY B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

IVY E. Snrrsox, AGNES ROCKELLI.

by addressing the Commissioner of 2mm, C. 

